Jodorowsky’s Dune

This fascinating documentary explores the genesis of one of cinema’s greatest epics that never was: cult filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic “Dune”. In 1975, following the runaway success of his art-house freak-outs “El Topo” and “Holy Mountain”, Jodorowsky secured the rights to “Dune” and began work on what was gearing up to be a cinematic game-changer, a sci-fi epic unlike anything the world had ever seen. Jodorowsky enlisted an elite group of artistic mercenaries, including French comic book artist Moebius and more. For the cast, he lined up icons ranging from Salvador Dali and Mick Jagger to Orson Welles, and even his own son, who was put through two years of grueling martial arts training to prepare for his role. Unfortunately, the film was never made. Director Frank Pavich tackles one of cinema’s most enthralling “what could have been” stories, weaving interviews with the charismatic Jodorowsky, his collaborators, and supporters, together with animation to bring Moebius’ storyboards to life. Even though the project exists only in the imaginations of its creators, and as the hundreds of illustrations they left behind, Pavich’s documentary celebrates the ways in which the creative dreams of “Dune” planted seeds for many other iconic films to come, from “Star Wars” to “Alien”. An inspirational story about the power of the creative spirit and a true visionary of our time.